Kingdom Hearts Forever
by Princess of Rose
Summary: Imagine this: Sora trapped in the world of darkness because of an oaf's blundering, Kairi trying to save him desperately, and the Heartless on the rise again. Not to mention, two new allies add themselves into the mix. It's chaos, sure, but it's also...
1. Heartless

Okay, I have been absolutely addicted to the game Kingdom Hearts II lately. This popped into my head in a dream, and though the details in my dream were random and unrealistic (such as, Pete had a gun and the Heartless were dressed like Redcoats), so I refined them and penned it down. And here it is. Just to let you know, I haven't finished the game yet, so things are a bit sloppy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

Rating: T

Summary: Sora is hurt gravely just as the Heartless rise again. Donald, Goofy, and Kairi set off on a perilous journey to stop the darkness and find a cure before it's too late. (Needs new summary) SoraxKairi may just be a oneshot.

Kingdom Hearts Forever

Chapter One

Heartless

"Sora! Watch out!" Goofy cried as thousands and thousands of Heartless attacked them. Not as many as they'd ever seen before, but tenfold the amount. They swarmed the air not more than an inch apart, crawled on the ground, came through portals.

The Keyblade smacked into the sides of several of the creatures, the Heartless disappearing into blue mist. But they kept coming even though he was giving it all his strength. They clawed at Sora's legs and he let out a frustrated cry and hit more of them. "There's too many!" The Heartless crawled onto and across the Keyblade towards his head. "Help!"

Donald and Goofy looked up from their battles. Sora gave up on the Keyblade and tried to physically shove the creatures from him. It was no use. Whenever one disappeared, three more came and took its place. Their weak magic, multiplied by their sheer number, was starting to harm Sora. Donald and Goofy tried to pull the Heartless off him, but they let out demonic hissing noises.

"Not helping!" Sora shrieked. They covered his eyes and he couldn't see. Instead, the Heartless began swarming over Donald and Goofy as well. "No!"

"He ha ha!" came the all-too familiar laugh. Pete showed from a dark portal. "Now I've got you where I want you!"

"Pete!" Sora cried, throat hoarse, "What do you want?"

Pete laughed again. "Heartless!" He yelled in summon. The dark creatures, having thoroughly weakened Sora, pulled him forward. He struggled fruitlessly against their grasps. Sora tightened his hands around the Keyblade and swung it around wildly to slay the ones crawling on him. It felt heavier than usual. The Heartless retreated as Sora faced Pete, rigid with weakness.

"Heartless, you have done well," Pete told the creatures, patting one on its head. "See how weak he has become?"

The Heartless hissed in pleasure.

Sora was getting dizzy. "I'm not weak," he lied.

Goofy saw how difficult it was for Sora to remain standing. "Sora, you can't fight him!" He called just as Donald shouted, "Get him, Sora!"

Goofy looked at Donald, puzzled.

Pete took one claw and drew a line from Sora's waist to his shoulder across his heart. Sora crumpled to the ground as Donald and Goofy rushed over. Heartless attacked Goofy, but Donald slipped through. Blood began to darken Sora's shirt. Donald wielded his staff and jumped at Pete, who dismissed Donald with one hit of his arm. Donald shrieked and hit the wall of the canyon they were in.

"I've waited too long to do this," Pete said with a laugh. "Sora, you will make a wonderful Heartless."

"What?" The teen cried, gripping the wound.

"No!" Goofy yelled, adrenaline making his arms ache. He waded through the attacking Heartless, but it was too late. Pete put his hand into his pocket and extracted a brightly glowing black orb. "Maleficent will be so proud of me!" He screamed, pushing the orb into Sora's chest. Sora let out a screech and collapsed.

Pete then waved at Goofy and disappeared.

"Sora!" Goofy cried as Donald fell from where he was stuck to the wall (have mind that this whole thing took place in about a few minute's time). Goofy held Sora up weakly. The teen's eyes rolled back in his head. The remaining Heartless vaporized. Goofy seized Sora's shoulders and shook them. "Sora, wake up, please, wake up!" Tears squeezed from his eyes.

Donald rushed over. "What happened?"

"It's Sora," was all he said.

Donald took Sora's limp hand, still holding the Keyblade. "Is he…?" he couldn't say the next word.

"I don't know." Goofy paled. "We need to see Merlin." Goofy then picked Sora up, despite the fact that Sora was weighed about twice as much as him. He handed the Keyblade to Donald, and Donald let out a sob. "This doesn't feel right," he murmured.

Goofy said nothing. His knees buckled under Sora's weight, but we kept walking anyway. They trudged to the Gummi Ship and went into the cockpit. Goofy set Sora in his chair and Donald set the autopilot for Hollow Bastion.

"Guys, what's going on? I received a distress signal," Chip began on the communication system. He caught sight of Sora. "Oh my god!"

"Chip, tell the king we need him in Hollow Bastion," Donald said dully.

"On it," the chipmunk said in surprisingly down voice. "Is he okay?"

"We don't know." Goofy's hand tightened around the arm of his chair. He fought back tears.

Then the ship took off for Hollow Bastion.

Er… sorry if it's a bit mottled, and the characters are a bit OOC, but like I said, _I haven't finished the game_. And hissing is what I thought the Heartless would do.

Reviews equal love. Please review.


	2. Radiant Garden

Okay, may seen a little Sora-centric at first, but I hope that soon the story will divide itself out so that there's more Goofy, Donald, and Kairi.  
SPOILER ALERT!  
I just found out that Hollow Bastion's name is now Radiant Garden... oops. And yes, I know Organization XIII has been defeated, but i couldn't come up with any better cloak design.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and its affiliates.

Chapter Two

Radiant Garden

Merlin knew something was horribly wrong even before the Gummi ship landed. The wizard had been hoping to find some ether in the Marketplace, but had failed. He was going through his stock of herbs, then forgot what he needed the ether for in the first place. He sighed. Well, nobody was perfect.

But that wasn't the point. He could just sense it… something was wrong, something was dark.

Yuffie poked her head through the door. "Merlin, Sora's here!" She piped. "I just saw their ship."

Merlin wrinkled his eyebrows. "That's odd," he said. "But a pleasant surprise."

Yuffie smiled, but it disappeared and confusion crossed her face. "Huh? Why is Donald…?"

"Merlin, we need your help!" Donald, though still carrying the heavy weapon, dashed over quickly. His feathers were ruffled.

"Why hello Donald," Merlin said with a smile. He caught sight of the Keyblade. "Why do you have that? Isn't it Sora's?"

"That's exactly it! Sora… he's…"

"He's what?" Merlin suddenly was struck with intuition. "Donald, just tell me. I may be a wizard, but I can't read your mind."

Donald snatched Merlin's hand and pulled him forward. "Just come on!"

Donald was panicking. Merlin caught a thread of the terror. They raced across the marketplace to the Gummi ship. Goofy was crouching over something, and Merlin's heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was. Sora, paler than ice, leaned unconsciously against Goofy's arms. The wizard rushed over. "What on earth happened?"

"Heartless," Goofy said in an odd voice. Usually he was so cheerful and optimistic about everything. But his tone was dead.

"They attacked us, and Pete showed up," Donald continued.

"An' he… he cut Sora, and put this orb thing through his heart," the words were growing difficult.

A sob broke Donald's panic.

"Can you tell us… is Sora…?"

"No," Merlin said in a similar tone to Goofy's. "He is not." He picked Sora up slowly. The elder wizard struggled for just a moment.

"Uh… I could get that…" Goofy began.

Merlin didn't hear him. The three walked back to the cottage.

--

Sora was in darkness.

This had happened to him before… once to save Kairi, but now he couldn't understand what was happening. There was pain- so much pain- but there hadn't been a Keyblade of any sort. He hadn't done it to himself this time.

The feeling was similar- falling, falling. He searched the last moments he remembered for some clue. Some clue to the pain. There were… Heartless. His mind was slow to provide the term. And Pete. Some dark, glowing sphere. A slash. His friends being attacked, also. Sora took in a quick breath. Where they okay? Wait… they had to be, if it was him who was lost. Pete or any sort of Heartless wouldn't hurt them for any specific reason.

He felt like he was underwater. He couldn't breathe. Kairi? Was she safe? Kairi, all alone back at Destiny Islands… he hoped Riku was protecting her.

…

--

Merlin laid the unconscious teen on his bed. "He should be more comfortable now…"

"What about this?" Donald gestured to the Keyblade, still oddly in its full form. This was unusual, because if Sora were not holding it, the Keyblade would disappear.

"Oh. Um…" Merlin was distracted.

"You could put it in the bag of Holding," Goofy offered (I believe that's what it's called… correct me if I'm wrong).

Obviously busy, Merlin poured a blue vial into a grey one. Still barely grasping that Sora could be lost or forever Heartless, he was trying his hardest to find something that would help. Donald and Goofy just exchanged worried glances.

"Is there anything we can do?" Goofy asked.

"No, I don't believe so, other than keeping the Keyblade safe."

"We can't just sit here and watch him die," Goofy muttered. This was excruciatingly dark for him, and Donald looked surprised.

"He's not going to die," Donald said quietly.

Merlin took the completed potion and poured a little into Sora's mouth. He hiccupped and some dark mist came out. The three looked vaguely hopeful. Then Sora coughed and a speck of blood dotted his lip.

He gasped and his fist briefly tightened- but soon was unconscious again. The others were perplexed. It was the first sign Sora showed that he was still alive. Donald rushed over. "Sora! Sora, can you hear me?"

"He probably cannot," Merlin murmured. "Not where he is."

"Well, where is he?" Goofy asked.

"Of the few cases I've seen of humans turning into Heartless," the wizard began ominously, "most do not return. I suppose they go to some Land of Heartless if the transformation has not yet happened. As it has happened to Sora before, who knows now? We can only hope he can find his way out."

Donald looked like he was about to cry.

Goofy, despite his short dark streak, was optimistic. "Donald, if it's like this, just finding a way out, Sora can do it."

Donald brightened. "Is there any way we can help him?"

Merlin didn't have the heart to tell them that was just his theory.

--

Suffocating. Suddenly, Sora was aware of the fact that there was a ground underneath him. He waited for his head to stop spinning. He was no longer falling- then he had to be a Heartless, right? But he still knew who he was and he was still thinking. Confused, Sora opened his eyes and looked around.

There was still darkness surrounding him. It was everywhere and everything. There was no sort of sky. No sun. No nothing. His head ached. Weakly, Sora stood, a pain hitting his chest. He let out a cry and steadied himself, trying to see something out of the darkness.

"Donald! Goofy! Kairi!" Sora shouted. His voice echoed, but no response. "King Mickey! Riku!"

Still no response. Sora's hands clenched into fists and soon relaxed in anxiety. "Where am I?" he asked himself.

"The Land of the Heartless," a voice explained for him.

"Who's there? Who are you?" He saw no one. Sora took a battle position, but the Keyblade didn't come to him. Sora looked at his hands in wonder. "Where is it? Give it back!"

"I don't have your petty weapon. We're all the same here. Now settle down. The pain will be over soon enough."

Sora paled. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

A figure appeared in the shadows. Sora inched back, as he couldn't fight darkness without the Keyblade.

"Oh, don't be afraid. We don't want to hurt you," it said in a mocking voice.

"Why am I here?" Sora demanded. "Let me go back!"

The figure came into view. It wore a cloak, one similar to Organization XIII's. "You can't unless summoned, Sora. Don't you know the rules?"

"What's going on?" He asked quietly.

"You're on your way to becoming a Heartless."

"No, I'm human, see!" Sora waved his hand wildly.

"Not for long," the figure sneered. "It's really not so bad. You don't have to think."

"I can't be… I mean…" he'd been Heartless before, and it wasn't like this. "You're a Nobody! Why are you here?"

"I am not!" the figure protested. "Why, my situation is similar to yours."

Sora tried to snort, but didn't have the energy. He fell to his knees as the pieces clicked together. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it," he said without emotion.

The figure patted his shoulder and a violent shudder went up Sora's spine. "Don't touch me," he hissed, scooting away.

"Ah, Sora. You're too nice for your own good."

"Donald, Goofy… Riku… Kairi…" his voice broke over her name. "I can't leave them. There must be something I can do…"

The figure smirked. "No. There isn't. Good day." It disappeared.

A little black creature, similar to so many he'd fought before, came and rubbed its head affectionately against him. Sora ignored it. He was left alone in the world of Nothing, no Keyblade, slowly turning into the enemy. It was his worst nightmare come alive.

As strong as he was, Sora broke down and cried.

Wow, that chapter was shit. More OOCness. Sorry guys. I didn't really know how Yuffie would act; it was sort of guesstimation, as I've never played any Final Fantasy. And sort of plot holes.

Aargh! This needs a new summary! 


	3. Nameless

Yah. I'm bored. I need a life. What can I say? I'm addicted ^^.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. It is property of Square Enix and Disney.

Chapter Three

Sora must have eventually fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew he being shaken awake.

Well, if you could call it that. Jolted was more proper. There was no way something so tiny and weak as a Shadow could shake him. It was the same Heartless that had grown fond of him yesterday. Sora groaned, momentarily forgetting the entire situation.

"Go away," he said, trying to shoo the creature. It remained next to him like a pet. His voice was garbled and drowsy.

It blinked at him, ears twitching slightly, then the creature looked around and hissed in Sora's opposite direction. The teen raised his eyebrows. "What is it?" He asked, feeling incredibly like he was watching an old rerun of _Lassie_.

Looking around quickly at the darkness, Sora felt the dreadful impact of reality, and tried to block it out of his mind. He didn't want to think. Maybe the cloaked figure had been right.

Sora could have slapped himself. He rubbed his raw eyes dully. The Heartless blinked at him, obviously trying to communicate somehow. It couldn't understand English, or any human language for sure.

"Ah, I hope you're feeling better," a voice chimed from the shadows. Not a perfect description, because this world seemed to be made of nothing _but_ shadows.

"Who's there?" Sora asked, near panic. He was unarmed in unfamiliar territory with nothing but a little, dark creature to witness it. He doubted it was able to think to protect him, and if it could probably wouldn't.

"Hmm, so you're not much of a hero without your Keyblade." The voice was bitingly familiar but he couldn't name it. Already losing his memories. Sora backed up, the Heartless close at his side, beady yellow eyes in a sort of scowl. Sora was confused. Heartless had no expressions. They didn't feel. They just were beings of complete darkness.

"Someone's got a pet?" The figure sneered. "Fitting. Might as well suck it up and make friends."

"It's not my pet," Sora argued, because that was the first thing that came to mind. "Will you tell me who you are?"

"I'd like to, but there's really no point. I mean, you'll just forget."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause, that's just the way things are here."

"If you know I'm going to forget, can't you just tell me?" His vision was growing foggy again.

"Look, do you want help or not?"

"I didn't know you were offering help," Sora muttered.

The figure pinched the bridge of its nose. "This is obviously just a huge waste of my time," it said, agitated. "Whatever." It disappeared again, leaving Sora very confused. He sat down, pondering. His thoughts were growing very muddled. The little creature was still following him. It leaned its head into Sora's lap.

Squinting for a moment, Sora patted its head twice. "You're a Heartless of someone I know, right?"

It gave the equivalent of a shrug.

"You know what I'm saying?"

Nothing.

Sora flopped onto the ground. "What's the point?" Who was this the Heartless of? There were so many people it could be. Sora was still so tired. He sat back up again. "If you're going to be following me, I might as well call you something," once again speaking aloud. 'It' didn't seem a proper name. Thinking about something like a pet was less painful than thinking about never being able to see his friends and girlfriend again. Neither was 'Creature.' He finally decided on Kurayami (1). It was a fitting name. Silly, he was keeping a Heartless as a pet. But it was the closest thing to a friend he had, and Sora didn't want to be alone here.

"You like your name?" he asked the Heartless. It blinked. Sora took that as a yes. Well, it probably didn't understand a single word he was saying. Did he care? Not really. Slowly, Sora stood up. The ground was of some sort of unrecognizable material. Smooth, but not earthy at all. It would probably shine if there were any sort of light. Sora wished he had a flashlight or candle of some sort. He wondered if it would be any help. He stumbled along, unsure of the ground.

It was useless plodding. Everything looked the same here. The world seemed completely deserted. Not even Heartless were about, aside from Kurayami. There was no sign of the figure, either.

His head was spinning. It all felt like a punch in the face. Sora saw a fleeting image of Destiny Islands. He let out a slow breath. He was suddenly cold, very cold. He gripped the tops of his arms. For some reason, he felt guilty. He saw Kairi's face behind his eyelids and blinked hard. He was probably never going to see her again.

Was he giving up? This startled him. But what could Sora do? He was stuck in a world of nothingness, no Keyblade. He had to keep fighting.

Kurayami made a small noise of recognition. It tugged dully on his pant leg.

Sora whirled around, frustrated. "What do you want now?" He cried.

"Huh?" Someone asked. The voice was different than the other one. Feminine. "I was just wondering… Sora? Oh my god."

"Who's there?" He asked, regretting acting in anger.

"It's me, don't you remember?" The girl pushed back her hood and showed her face.

-Evil cliffy-

Kairi sighed and leaned her head against the tree trunk. Her eyelids were heavy. She doubted she'd gotten a good night's sleep in a week. She blinked heavily. Kairi was worrying too much to sleep. She held her good luck charm in her hand. She wished she'd given it to him. Sora needed luck when he could get it.

Kairi stood up and stretched. The sun was low in the sky, masked by clouds. Near sunset. She walked off, not quite knowing where she was heading. But she almost predicted that she would end up in their hideaway.

Kairi hadn't been herself ever since Sora left. That was obvious. She missed him terribly. She was actually partly angry at him for not bringing her with him. Just because she was a girl didn't mean she couldn't protect herself.

She ran her fingers over the carvings. They were far from ornate- they were nearly kindergarten scrawls. She picked up a stone and near the carving of her and Sora sharing a paupou (2) fruit, carved a heart.

S plus K.

The memory came flooding back as soon as she put the stone down. Two months of bliss the three of them had had on the island. Everything was at peace. No worries. Day after day she, Sora and Riku would just hang by the beach, swim and chat. It wasn't much, but it was all they'd ever wanted.

Best friends forever.

Even Selphie came by to join them sometimes. She still didn't remember Sora much, but they seemed to get along. Selphie had an obvious crush on Riku, and he seemed to be warming to her.

One day, the sky was dark. Kairi had never seen such horror imprinted in the boys' eyes- Riku and Sora wore the same expression of terrified disbelief. The perpetual sunlight faded from sight, cloaked in black clouds. It hadn't shown since.

That very afternoon a note had come from the king. They didn't even need to read it to know what was going to happen. Sora would have to leave again. Her heart had nearly broken.

_"I'm going with you," _she'd said. _"You promised we would never leave each other."_ He'd touched her cheek. A strong wind had ruffled Kairi's hair and mixed a mini sandstorm along the beach. Tree limbs had romped.

Sora's been in deliberation. _"Kairi, I want you to stay here with Riku."_

_"Why? Sora. I can protect myself."_

_"I can't lose you again. You need to stay here. You and Riku will be safe."_ She hated the recklessly sensible person he turned into when it came to the missions.

_"I've never known you to break a promise, Sora."_ Kairi had regretted the words the second she said them. Tears had watered in Sora's eyes. She'd never seen him cry before.

_"It kills me to leave you, too. I can't lose you again," _he'd repeated, voice breaking.

_"Sora,"_ Kairi had thrown her arms around him. _"Just make sure you come back, alright?" _

Sora had kissed her on the cheek. _"You bet I will. I'm sorry, Kairi._"

Now Kairi slid down the wall. That might have been the worst day of her life. Their relationship was brittle, but she cared for him- maybe even she loved him. Finally she stood up, brushing off her jeans. She headed back to the beach and sat down.

"Will you ever stay still?" Riku called to her. He was happy. Only joking.

Kairi smiled weakly. He walked over.

"Still worried, huh?"

She nodded.

"Sora's tough. He'll take care of himself. Hey, you wanna join me and Selphie? We're going to watch crappy Kung Fu films."

Kairi shook her head. "Nah, I'll just be a wet blanket."

"You sure?"

She smiled and nodded. "You guys have fun."

Riku patted her shoulder. "See you."

Kairi closed her eyes and just listened to the waves. She missed the warmth of the sun. Behind her eyelids, she pretended nothing had changed and this was just a dream. The longer the kept her eyes closed, the realer her pretend world seemed.

There was a distant splash and her eyes flicked open. "Probably just driftwood," Kairi murmured to herself.

"KAIRI!" Someone was yelling. The princess raised her eyebrow, and her eyes widened in confusion. Her first thought was _I told him I didn't want to watch any movies_, but it changed when she realized the voice was all wrong.

"Donald? Goofy?" She called. "You guys are back already?" A grin spread across her face. "Where's Sora?"

"Kairi," Goofy said, Donald clearly out of breath. "We need your help. Something bad happened."

1- Kurayami means 'darkness' in Japanese.

2- I really had no idea how to spell it. I forgot. 

Yeah, finally a little Kairi bit. Riku was totally OOC, I should have made Selphie say that part instead. And mwahaha evil cliffy. Reviews make the chapters come on faster. I have like one review. Seriously. I know people read this.


	4. Neverending

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter Four  
Never-ending

"Kairi. We need your help. Something bad happened."

Kairi's eyes widened yet again. "What? What's going on?" Her intuition pricked.

Donald grabbed her hand and nearly pulled Kairi to her knees.

"Okay, guys, I'll go with you, will you just tell me what's going on?" She demanded.

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances. "Kairi…" Goofy sighed.

"Something happened to Sora, right?" She looked at the bank of clouds. In her peripheral, they nodded. Kairi blinked. "I can handle this."

"There must be some cure, I suppose," Merlin began not long after they'd brought the unconscious Sora to him. "But I can't do much. I'm afraid there may or may not be anything we can do."

"Nothing? You sure?" Goofy asked.

"Darkness cannot be totally stopped, but I do believe there's a cure to Heartlessness."

Donald was simmering in his frustration. Goofy nudged him, in hopes the duck's temper wouldn't boil over. "It's better than nothing," Goofy muttered and raised his voice. "Do you know anything about this… cure thing?"

"I _believe _that it is known by the Princesses of Light, and it could possibly help Sora, but that is all."

Donald, in his classic, moody way, let out a long quack. "Do you know anything?"

"Donald!" Goofy scolded.

Merlin sighed. "No one knows everything."

"Do we have to have this argument now?" the Captain asked. "This is serious."

The two looked up at him.

"Ah… you're right."

Donald just stuck his tongue out at him.

"So… isn't Kairi a princess of Light?" Goofy asked slowly.

Merlin looked surprised. "Why yes, she is. I nearly forgot. She could be quite helpful."

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances. "We'll go find her."

Though she'd definitely agreed to go with them, Kairi was at a wonder of where'd they be going. She'd barely been to any other worlds consciously.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Radiant Garden," Goofy answered in a dead voice.

She'd never seen either of them in such a bad mood. The tension was unbearable. Her feeling of dread just grew heavier as they flew. She snapped out of a trance as she remembered something Sora'd told her.

_"Yeah, the boat runs on smiles," he admitted. "The first trip I thought my face was going to freeze that way."_

But, in the dark mood, she wondered why they weren't crashing. She glanced over at Goofy and saw a very plastered on grin. It looked more like a sneer.

Figured.

"We're here," Donald muttered.

"Oh. Wait…" She remembered now. Radiant Gardens was her birthplace. She had no memories of it now, but it was still a stab of happiness to see her old hometown.

But that stab was soon replaced with fear.

* * *

"It's me, don't you remember?" The girl pushed back her hood and showed her face.

Sora gasped. The braid, the green eyes, and the delicate way she stood- he recognized it all, but he just didn't believe it. "A-Aerith?"

She nodded gravely.

"W-what are you doing here? I thought you were…?" He trailed off meaninglessly, at a loss for words. "How did you become a Heartless?"

"We're not Heartless yet," she told him. "We're _becoming _Heartless. And it's not my darkness that made me this way. Sephiroth, he…"

Sora cut her off. "That guy with the really long sword?"

"Yes, him. He and some Shadows overwhelmed me, and he put this thing in my chest."

"…Pete did the same to me… but how are they tied, if they're using the same magic, or if Sephiroth lent Pete his power? _Why_ are they working together? Pete's too much of a numbskull…" Sora shook his head. "Are you okay, though?"

"Yeah… I just don't know what's going on…" she tried.

"Well, that's something we have in common." He looked around into the blackness. Kurayami crouched behind him, looking at Aerith almost in fear. "I just… how… are we stuck here?"

She nodded. "I'm looking for an exit, but I can't seem to find any- it all looks the same. Or at least, I thought it did." Her eyes looked sad. "Sora, do you think it's bad that I'm starting to see things in this darkness?"

He looked at her, startled. "Like what?"

She shook her head. "Trees, grass, a sky. It's all dark and blurry, but I'm afraid… I'm afraid I'm becoming one of them faster than I thought…"

Sora studied her, and saw that she did look a littler darker- her hair, her eyes, even her skin looked grayer. "Don't worry," he said, more out of habit than anything else. "I'll help you. We'll help each other."

"That sounds like a good idea." She caught sight of Kurayami, who was still hiding behind Sora. "Who's your friend?"

"I named him Kurayami. He's a Heartless, and he hasn't tried to hurt me."

"Oh." She held out her hand, and the Shadow went over to her and sniffed it, and then rubbed its head against her palm. "He seems friendly."

"I guess so. Maybe not all Heartless are bad." He looked down for a moment, and then changed the subject. "Hey, where'd you get that cloak? Don't they protect from darkness?"

"Yeah. Some man gave it to me, he said it would slow the process."

"Huh. I wonder where he is. He's been following me, saying he'll help me." Sora shook his head. "If he was of any help, he'd tell me how to get us out of here."

There was a sound like a dark corridor. Sora and Aerith looked up, startled. Kurayami snarled like a dog and sank its claws into Sora's leg.

"Ow! Kurayami, that hurts!" Sora hissed, swatting at the Shadow.

"You rang?" A voice asked from the darkness. The hooded man stepped into Sora's range of view.

"Yeah!" Sora told him, not sure of the point he wanted to get across. "I-if you want to help us, at least tell us who you are."

"Why the hell not?" He asked almost sarcastically. "It's not like you can do anything to me. Don't be surprised, now." He pulled back his hood and ruffled his hair.

Sora gasped again. "How is it possible?"

The man smiled widely. "You're not dead, if that's what you're thinking."

"But I saw you die!" Sora shook his head. "Er… no offense."

"What, you thought Nobodies faded into darkness? So did I. And look!" He gestured around. "Darkness it is. I guess we took it out of the correct context."

"I still don't understand. You're- does that mean you're…"

"Who you think I am? Yup." He glanced at Aerith. "Oh, I'm scaring you, aren't I? I mean no harm." His voice sounded kind of threatening, and Sora put an arm in front of Aerith. The man snorted and caught sight of Kurayami, still clinging to Sora's leg. "I see your pet is still afraid of me." He knelt and offered a hand to it. "Name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

* * *

Ahhh! I ruined the suspense for Axel's moment of revelation. I honestly didn't know that Axel was the hooded man until I realized just how close the dialog resembled something Axel would actually say. Heheh.  
I'm walking blindfolded with this story, meaning I have no idea what to do with it. The exposition is about set up. Time for the story to really begin.  
But I will not continue until I recieve at least four reviews for this chapter alone. Heh, not trying to sound mean or anything XD


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